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Despite having assembled an All-Star team built to win the NBA Finals, the Lakers last night lost to by their local rival.

The high-flying Clippers lead by as much as 18 points in a game that was more of a blowout than the 107-102 final would imply.

Chris Paul finished with 30 points. He scored the last eight Clippers points of the game, finishing off the struggling Lakers in the final minutes.

To add insult to injury, at one point the Clippers had four former Lakers on the court (Lamar Odom, Matt Barnes, Caron Butler, and Ronny Turiaf), with Paul as their point guard. Clipper television announcers commented that the team had four-and-a-half former Lakers playing, referencing the controversial Paul trade to the Lakers that was squashed by NBA commissioner David Stern.

''Right now we're just focused on being one of the best teams in the league, not just the city,'' Odom told reporters after the game at Staples Center. ''Focus can't be just to be better than one team. Now we're trying to be great.''

The Clippers are currently leading the Pacific Division by three games ahead of the Golden State Warriors, whom they play tonight. The Lakers' record is a dismal 15-17 so far.

If the Clippers and Lakers faced off in the playoffs against each other, who do you think would win in a series?

<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/6810719/">Are the Clippers the best NBA team in LA?</a>